The ManicaPost
Rumbidzayi Zinyuke
Senior Reporter
SHE throws mounds of soil in a shovel just as good as the man next to her.
She works just as many hours, but because she is a woman, her duties do not end there. She has more work waiting for her at home.
Mining is serious business. Be it for the illegal gold panners who throng the mountainous areas of Nyanga North, or for the formal mining companies.
The few women who have joined the sector will tell you this is no child’s play.
But they enjoy the challenge. The reward is also good since they get to take care of their families.
Mrs Clara Chitsatu is one of the 25 female workers at Nyanga Resources, a small-scale mining venture being spearheaded by youths in the district. The company has a total of 132 employees, so Mrs Chitsatu and her counterparts are working in the male dominated environment.
The journey has not been easy, especially since women have never been considered as equal in that field.
“Women have never been welcome in mining. When we still had illegal mining activities here, we were shut out because the men believed it was a preserve for them. When Nyanga Resources came on board, they roped us in and we are now working well at the mines. But it hasn’t been without its challenges,” she said.
The first thing that came to the minds of fellow villagers when they started going to work was that they were going there to sell their bodies.
It was a new concept to see women doing work that had always been done by men.
“If they are not selling food and drinks to the miners, then they are selling their bodies,” that was the perception then.
For Mrs Chitsatu and other married women, the move to seek employment at the mine shook the foundation of their marriages.
Their husbands believed that they were seeking to parade their bodies before other men.
“The rumour mill is always fast when women get such jobs. People think we cannot be coming here just for work. My husband was against this move at first because he believed what they were saying. But we had been languishing in poverty for years and that pushed us to try our hands in this labour intensive job.
“As the first pay check came in, perceptions changed.
‘‘My husband began to realise the positives that come with formal employment.
“Through my sweat at the mine, I am now sponsoring the construction of a three-roomed house that is now at roof level. My husband now know that l am here to work only and he is happy with that,” she said.
Mr Chitsatu has become more understanding and supportive.
Being a mother, some of Mrs Chitsatu’s roles have been overshadowed by her job. But she has had to make it work.
She starts her day at 4am to make sure that she completes her household chores before leaving for work.
“It has been difficult to strike a balance between my work and home life. My day starts very early and ends very late. When we finish at 4pm, we have to walk very long distances to get home. Sometimes I find my children already in bed. But l am working for their lives to get better so l have to remain strong,” she said.
Mining is one of the pillars on which Vision 2030 is anchored. The involvement of women in the sector is in line with President Mnangagwa’s call not to leave anyone behind.
While Mrs Chitsatu and her counterparts’ jobs are tough, they are working hard to improve their lives and that of the nation at large.
“I urge other women to work hard in every sphere of life. We should not just sit at home and wait for donors to come and spoon feed us. We are our own emancipators and we should be able to leave behind a legacy in everything we do.
“My children will not live the same life I lived, they will have a better life.
‘‘Sometimes poverty is a choice and l have chosen to leave it behind. By 2030 I will be living a good life,” she said.
